Storage??? (twitch-twitch...)

Hey fellas, i got a question for ya. I'll be going off to college at this end of this comming summer, and unfortunately i won't be able to take my Jeep with me . I was wondering what the best method for storage is. My guess would be in the garage (if i can clear some room) under a car cover, and up on some jack stands. Does that sound right, the garage and car cover to protect from the elements and the jack stands to prolong the springs and keep the tires from flat-spotting/dry-rotting... If not, let me know what the best way to keep her fresh for 10 months is. I will sacrifice and let my mom drive it from time to time if need be, but i was hoping to be able to take it off the road so that we can take it off insurance to save some money. Any advice/opinions are appreciated.

Thanks,
-Savage-

Just keep in mind that from a mechanical standpoint, not driving a vehicle is worse for it than driving it. So storing your Jeep away for a long period of time and not driving it could be bad for it's "health". You want to make sure that somebody starts it up and drives it periodically...even if it's just a short trip to town.

LibertyCRD said:

Just keep in mind that from a mechanical standpoint, not driving a vehicle is worse for it than driving it. So storing your Jeep away for a long period of time and not driving it could be bad for it's "health". You want to make sure that somebody starts it up and drives it periodically...even if it's just a short trip to town.

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Haha, I didnt post about this on Lost either. 8-[

Anyways, hes right, oil needs to be brought back up through the engine every couple weeks so bearings do not rust and such.

And during those two week or so periods, be sure to un-plug the battery so that it does not go dead.

also i am pretty sure that you will want to leave the windows rolled down a crack, therefore it wont get musty smelling inside.

Put it in the garage. Allow someone to drive it a bit on a sunday drive. Take off the ins., the 1% (or less) chance of getting a ticket will cost less than ins. for ten months. I would not let it sit for ten straight months.

Pnorton said:

Put it in the garage. Allow someone to drive it a bit on a sunday drive. Take off the ins., the 1% (or less) chance of getting a ticket will cost less than ins. for ten months. I would not let it sit for ten straight months.

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LEAVE THE INSURANCE ON IT! If (God forbid) it does get driven and somebody gets hurt, YOU are responsible for making it wright by the person hit by/or driving your car. Not to mention that if it's financed you are required to have insurance on it. Oh, and if you lived in Ohio you could get a random rquest for proof of insurance from the State (if your vehicle has valid tags), if you can't prove the vehicle was insured at the time of the request you are in a world of trouble. You license and vehicle registartion is suspended, you will have to pay a re-instatement fee, and will have to maintain proof of insurance for a determined period of time (varies on how many times and what type of suspensions you get). Also, Ohio sends out a request to all states who have signed on to The Violator Compact Agreement (it's a legal thing) to suspend your Non-Resident Operating Privlages (meaning you would have a no legal right to drive in most states in the U.S.), I'm sure it's similiar in most states.

Bottom line you can take it off the insurance, turn the registration back in to the BMV and store it (and take the chance of something happening to it that insurnace would cover like fire or theft), or semi store it and keep the insurance and tags up to date and let someone drive it to market on Sunday's.

The best plan seems to be to put it on a low mileage plan and let someone drive it a few dozen miles every now and then. Keep it covered when i can and make sure someone takes it to the wash at some point.

I know a couple of people who leave their car for 6 months at a time (in garage). They disconnect the battery and it's good to go when they get back! As far as I know, they've had no problems!

But if you're going to have someone drive it around, make sure they get it out and run it around a bit. Without a full warm up, condensation can rust out your exhaust system. Under such circumstances, you definitely need insurance.

Personally, I'd cancel the insurance, store it inside (on blocks) with a full tank of gas, fresh oil, fuel stablizer and disconnect the battery. When you return, hook it up, air the tires and you should be fine.